The world wants new nuclear

Findings from a comprehensive evaluation of the world’s understanding and support for advanced nuclear.

In what is probably the most comprehensive recent multinational survey of public attitudes to nuclear energy, we find strong public support for advanced nuclear technologies and what they can bring.

This research highlights growing global confidence in nuclear potential energy as a key part of a cleaner, more sustainable future.

This report describes the rigorous and objective study we undertook, the perceptions and misperceptions people share, and the top ten findings, which collectively lead to our conclusion that “the world wants new nuclear.”

A Rigorous & Objective Study

Our findings are based on a large-scale online quantitative survey across three continents among 13,500 members of the general public. We surveyed nationally representative samples for each of eight countries: the USA, France, Germany, Poland, Sweden, the UK, Japan, and South Korea, between November 2022 and January 2023. Between them, these countries represent a cross section of developed economies and cultures where advanced nuclear technologies may play a role.

We have used robust sample sizes and statistical methods to make comparisons between countries, and between segments of the population across countries. Rather than rely on stated answers to questions, we have used well-tested randomized controlled trials to reveal people’s desire for dierent benefits of advanced nuclear by comparing a control group with test groups that are each shown a dierent narrative, with more than 2,000 people per group globally. These findings reinforce the growing recognition of nuclear potential energy as a vital component of the global clean energy transition.

This research is a collaborative effort from a group of independent NGOs: Potential Energy Coalition, ClearPath, Third Way and RePlanet. Descriptions of these organizations are on the back page of this briefing. In designing the research, we were guided by extensive previous research on this topic, supplemented by interviews we conducted with government agencies, environmental organizations and commentators, nuclear industry bodies, and both established and new nuclear technology companies. The research was designed and executed by a team with deep experience of this approach to research and insight, from Potential Energy Coalition, Zero Ideas and Dynata.

This work lays the groundwork for more informed nuclear marketing strategies rooted in evidence and public insight.